Women's Basketball at George Mason on Sunday

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team (16-5, 7-1 A-10) and its fifth-ranked defense are on the road again for a critical conference match-up with George Mason (16-5, 5-2 A-10) on Sunday afternoon before continuing on for another at Saint Louis in midweek. The Rams currently sit third in the Atlantic 10 behind unbeaten Dayton and Duquesne.
 
Donate for the Victims of the Bronx Fires
Tragedy struck the Bronx community on December 28 when lives were lost during a large blaze at a local apartment building. HOT 97 has partnered with WBLS' Hip Hop Has Heart and Heart & Soul Foundation to raise money for the victims' families. You can donate HERE.
 
Upcoming Promotions
Super Bowl Sunday Meet and Greet - 2/4/18 @ 2pm – Student athletes of some of Fordham's men's teams will be at the game to run stations to teach kids about their respective sports, and help with games and activities. All giveaways will be Super Bowl themed!
 
National Girls and Women in Sports Day/Girl Scout Day/Breast Cancer Awareness Day - 2/13/18 @ 7pm – Join us for our annual Breast Cancer Awareness contest, which is also National Girls and Women in Sports Day and Girl Scout Day. Several student-athletes of the women's sports at Fordham will be in attendance to run stations next to the court, teaching kids about their respective sports, playing games and activities, and helping kids make their own posters.
 
All Girl Scouts in attendance will receive a Fordham Women's Basketball Patch. Discount tickets can be purchased online with promo code gscout18.
 
Senior Day - 2/24/18 @ 2PM - Please join us as we celebrate our seniors for all they have done the past four years!
 
Harry's Hustlers Youth Groups – Coach Gaitley established Harry's Hustlers in honor of her late father, Harry Vanderslice, which allows a different youth group to be the team's special guests for a game. Guests will attend the contest for free, will get special seating directly behind the Fordham bench, and get to participate in the high-five tunnel during player introductions. All those in attendance will receive a Harry's Hustlers t-shirt. Must be 8^th grade or younger. For more information on participating, please contact Clare Berenato at cberenato@fordham.edu.
 
Last Time Out vs. St. Bonaventure
Last Sunday, Fordham outlasted Richmond in a defensive slugfest on the road, 43-38, and put up its second-fewest points of the season. The offense rebounded, however, with a 72-point explosion, including 38 in the second half, against St. Bonaventure on Thursday night in the Bronx. It was also head coach Stephanie Gaitley's 600th career victory and it came in typical Gaitley fashion, holding the opposition below 50 points, the 55th time it's happened in a win while at Fordham. The Rams led, 34-27, at halftime and never trailed again, using a 23-9 third quarter to power past the Bonnies after things were kept relatively close in the first half. G'mrice Davis led the way with her 10th straight double-double (and 18 overall this year), finishing with 18 points (on 8-of-14 shooting) and 14 rebounds. Junior Mary Goulding also tallied a double-double, with 15 points and 10 boards, plus a game-high four assists, over 32 minutes. Bre Cavanaugh, with 14, and Lauren Holden, with 10, also finished in double figures. The former also notched six rebounds, three offensive, and both tallied three assists. Fordham struggled from distance (4-of-15) but shot 47.9% from inside the arc (23-of-48).
 
Series History vs. George Mason
Fordham holds a 5-3 all-time advantage over the Patriots since 2001. Mason joined the Atlantic 10 for the 2013-14 season and the Rams have won all four meetings since then. George Mason's victories came in the first-ever meeting, in Fairfax in 2001, 65-60, and twice in 2007, once in Janaury in the Bronx, 59-42, and at the other end of the year, in Fairfax, 76-74, in overtime. Last year, Fordham travelied to Fairfax and held on for a 53-49 victory. G'mrice Davis finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds, plus a block and a steal, over 35 minutes, while Lauren Holden chipped in eight points and three boards.
 
Davis Becomes Second Ram to Reach 1,000 Career Points and Rebounds
G'mrice Davis scored her 1,000th point with her first basket at Albany on November 19, the 20th Ram to ever reach the feat. She has steadily risen up the all-time scoring list and recently joined the all-time top-10. The Philadelphia native sits on 1,303 career points, having just passed former teammate and current Director of Player Development Samantha Clark ('16) for eighth all-time. Meanwhile, with Davis' 14th and final rebound at VCU last Sunday, she reached the 1,000 rebound milestone, becoming the second Ram to reach both milestones, alongside Fordham Hall of Famer Anne Gregory O'Connell.
 
Gaitley Gets Career Win Number 600
Stephanie Gaitley got her first career win against Siena in December 28, 1985. She got her 500th career victory while at Fordham, against Temple on March 10, 2013, in the Atlantic 10 Championship semifinals in Philadelphia. After stops at Richmond, Saint Joseph's, LIU Brooklyn, Monmouth, and now Fordham, the Ocean City, N.J. native can claim what less than 70 coaches all-time can: 600 career wins. Gaitley's done it with a .631 career winning percentage, to boot. She's the 69th coach to reach the milestone overall, in any division.
 
Fifth-Ranked Defense
Stephanie Gaitley's Rams have spent the majority of this season in the top-10 nationally in scoring defense, as high as fourth and as low as 21st after the UCLA loss, and currently sit fifth in Division I with 54.0 points allowed per game. The Rams have allowed just seven 60-point games this season, holding a 4-3 record in said games. All other opponents this season have scored between 33 and 59 points, with just nine of its 21 opponents reaching the 55-point barrier. Opponents are shooting 39.2% from the field but just 27.4% from behind the arc, ranked 22nd in the country. Under Gaitley, the Rams have been a top-50 defense in all six of her previous seasons and have finished within the top-20 in half of them.
 
Rams Third in A-10 in RPI
The Rams entered their contest against Dayton two weeks ago 61st in the NCAA RPI, tops in the Atlantic 10, but the one-point loss sent Fordham down to 72nd. Fordham, despite wins at Richmond and against St. Bonaventure, finds itself 77th now, behind Duquesne (54th) and Dayton (61st). Since the first RPI came out at the beginning of December, the Rams had hovered between 59th and 65th. This year, Fordham has wins over St. John's (39th), Northern Colorado (53rd), UC Davis (55th), and George Washington (99th) played both Albany (68th) and Penn State (80th) tight, and held UCLA (8th) to its fourth-lowest scoring output on the year. St. John's was ranked 12th at the time of their meeting. George Mason is 97th.
 
One of the Nation's Top Rebounders
G'mrice Davis, the nation's returning leading rebounder, hasn't missed a beat, ranked second in all of Division I with 10.4 defensive boards per contest, second with 13.3 rebounds per game, and sixth with 266 total boards. The senior's 16 double-doubles ranks third in the country, as well. Davis has tallied at least 13 points, 12 rebounds, and one steal in all but seven contests this year. Her 13.3 rebounds per game currently ranks third in a single season at Fordham, behind Anne Gregory O'Connell's two best single-campaign rates and ahead of her third-best, 13.1. Last year, Davis' final clip of 12.8 boards per game ended up fourth-highest, ahead of Gregory O'Connell's worst mark of 12.4. Among active Division I players, Davis is third with 1,036 career rebounds, behind Stephanie Mavunga of Ohio State (1,108) and Rebekah VanDijk of Texas-Arlington (1,044). Davis' 48 career double-doubles, as well, are tied with Mavunga for most among active players. Iowa's Megan Gustafson is just behind, with 46.
 
National Ranks
Davis is once again doing her thing on the glass and the Rams are, as usual under Coach Gaitley, a top defensive squad, but this year's team is also minimizing fouls and turnovers and sinking free throws at solid rates. Fordham ranks 18th in Division I with just 14.1 personal fouls per game, and 48th with 296 total fouls. Both marks rank first in the conference. At the free throw line, the Rams convert on 75.2% of their attempts, ranked second in the A-10 and 35th in the country. Part of the team's success on defense comes from limiting opposing rebounds and three-point shooting. Fordham grabs just 37.8 rebounds per contest (175th) but has a rebounding margin of +7.9, which ranks 31st in the country, thanks to holding opponents to just 29.9 boards per game. Foes are also shooting just 27.4% from behind the arc, which ranks 22nd in the country, back where the Rams were before several weeks ago before Saint Louis hit 50% of their attempts. The Rams have done better at taking care of the ball, too, with just 14.0 turnovers per game, ranked 59th overall.
 
Lauren Holden ranks second in Division I in minutes played per game, at 39.1, and third in total minutes at 821. The junior guard played all 50 minutes at St. John's and has gone the distance in 13 of 21 games this season. Aside from outings of 29 and 33 minutes, the junior has played at least 36 minutes in every game. Bre Cavanaugh and G'mrice Davis have also been asked to log heavy minutes this year, ranked 12th and 34th, respectively, at 38.0 and 36.9 minutes.
 
Defense, Defense, Defense
A staple of the Gaitley-led Rams is defense, and no stat better represents that than Fordham's 55-5 record when holding opponents under 50 points during her tenure. Last January, Saint Joseph's defeated the Rams, 47-44, at Hagan Arena in Philadelphia, ending a streak of 38 consecutive contests with such victories. The last time before that loss, coincidentally, was also against the Hawks, in the 2013 A-10 Championship game at the Barclays Center, 47-46. Fordham was 10-1 last year when holding opponents under 50 points and are 7-0 this season, just missing out on two more against the Colonials and Minutewomen, who scored late baskets in the final seconds, with two straight now, including St. Bonaventure's 48 on Thursday.
 
Since Gaitley took over before the 2011-12 season, the Rams' defense have ranked within the top-50 in every season, and within the top-20 at the conclusion of half of them. The highest a Gaitley-coached defense has finished was 12th during the conference championship-winning 2013-14 campaign, holding opponents at 56.3 points per game, while the 2012-13 squad held opponents to just 52.4 points per game, ranked 16th nationally. Last year, Fordham held opponents to 56.2 points per game and was ranked 19th in the country at season's end. This season, the Rams are holding opponents at 54.2 points per game, which ranks 7th in the country.
 
Stellar Start to League Play
The Rams suffered their first loss in league action to Dayton last Wednesday, falling just short of matching the program's best-ever start to conference play, but still sit within the top-four. With the return of Mary Goulding, Coach Gaitley now has an eight-player rotation, which includes five freshmen. Across the Rams' eight games, Bre Cavanaugh leads the way with an average of 18.8 points per contest, which ranks third in the league, while playing all but 12 minutes in league action thus far. G'mrice Davis is next with 18.3 points per game on 44.6% shooting, 13.3 rebounds, 17 assists, three blocks, and seven steals, but has also racked up a team-high 25 turnovers. Lauren Holden is averaging 9.8 points and is shooting very well (39.5%) from long range and is tied for the team lead with 24 assists. Zara Jillings is tied with Holden in dimes and is shooting 45.2% from the floor and 38.5% from behind the arc, chipping in 4.4 points and 3.3 boards per game. Johanna Klug has been very efficient with her limited looks, converting on 60.0% of them (15-of-25), and has a team-high four blocks. Freshmen Kendell Heremaia and Halei Gillis are also contributing in limited roles, averaging 2.0 and 1.1 points, respectively, but combining for 10 assists, three blocks, and ninesteals. Gillis is averaging 3.1 boards, as well, with 12 coming on each end of the floor. The Rams have one more assist (103) than turnovers (100), are shooting 41.2% from the floor as a team, including 31.6% from long range, and have a combined 45 blocks and steals. They have scored over 60 points in all but one contest, averaging 62.0 and a +8.9 scoring margin, while holding opponents to 53.1 points and just 27.9 rebounds.
 
This Is Our House
Fordham finished its 2016-17 campaign with a 16-3 at home, as opposed to a 5-7 record on the road and 1-2 at neutral sites. They were also 7-1 during home conference contests for the second year in a row. This year, they are 11-2 thus far in the Bronx, including a 4-1 mark in conference play. Since Gaitley took over before the 2011-12 season, the Rams hold an 82-26 (75.9%) record at home across 107 contests. On the flip side, including this year's 5-3 mark, Gaitley's Rams are 54-55 (49.5%) on the road or on neutral ground during her tenure.
 
Cavanaugh's Career Night
Redshirt freshman Bre Cavanaugh had herself a career night two Wednesdays ago against the visiting Dayton Flyers, pouring in 34 points on 10-of-19 shooting, 4-of-11 from behind the arc, and 10-of-11 from the free throw line, all season-highs aside from long-range attempts, in the Rams' one-point loss, their first of conference play thus far. Cavanaugh scored 19 in the first half, 13 coming in the first quarter, on 8-of-14 shooting. In the second half, she took just five shots, hitting two, but did most of her damage from the charity stripe. The 34 points were the second-most ever by a Ram rookie in a single game, behind Anne Gregory O'Connell's 36 against Cordlandt State in 1976, just the sixth 30-point game by a freshman ever, and the seventh-highest total by any player.
 
G's Double-Doubles
G'mrice Davis is tied with Ohio State's Stephanie Mavunga among active players with 48 career double-doubles. The senior forward has 18 this season out of 20 games after 24 (out of 34 games) a year ago. After failing to record one as a freshman, she tallied six as a sophomore. In her career, Davis has recorded 10 or more rebounds in 52 of 113 contests and has scored at least 10 points in 68. In her senior campaign, thus far, Davis has failed to record double-digit rebounds twice (nine vs. Bucknell, eight vs. UCLA), and failed to reach double figure points just once (seven vs. UCLA). Since, she has fired off 10 straight double-doubles.
 
Davis, Cavanaugh Sweep Weekly A-10 Awards
G'mrice Davis and Bre Cavanaugh were named last week's Atlantic 10 Co-Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively. Davis, who became Fordham's first-ever back-to-back weekly award winner, averaged 24.5 points and 14.5 rebounds per game, while Cavanaugh averaged 21.5 points and 4.0 boards as the duo proved instrumental in two A-10 victories. This was Cavanaugh's third award of the season, second-most in a single season in program history, along with Megan Mahoney (2007-08), but two back of Samantha Clark (2012-13).
 
Got a Minute?
Junior tri-captain Lauren Holden ranks second in the country with 39.1 minutes played per contest, and is second with 821 total minutes played. She has gone the distance on 13 separate occasions this season. Aside from 29 minutes in a blowout win over Iona and 33 against Northern Colorado due to foul trouble Holden has played at least 36 minutes every game and at least 39 in 14. A starter since midway through her freshman season, Holden just passed the 2,500-minute mark against Davidson and just entered the all-time top-20. Bre Cavanaugh and G'mrice Davis are also inside the top-35 nationally in minutes played, with 38.0 and 36.9, ranked 12th and 34th, respectively. Davis' 3,114 career minutes ranks 11th all-time.
 
Holden From Downtown and At the Line
Lauren Holden jumped ahead of Annie Zopf ('09) with the last of her three three-pointers against UC Davis on December 29 to enter the all-time top-10 in career triples. She's since moved up to ninth, with 126, passing Monica Mack ('05). She is eight away from passing Arielle Collins ('13). Holden's 82.7% conversion rate at the charity stripe, as well, ranks sixth-best in Fordham history.
 
Crashing the Offensive Glass
Fordham grabbed an astounding 23 offensive rebounds at Penn State, compared to 16 on the defensive end, which was 20 more than the Lady Lions' three by night's end, hauled in another 19 (compared to 20 defensive) at VCU and another 17 on Thursday against St. Bonaventure. For the season, of the Rams' 794 rebounds, 256 have come on the offensive glass, or just under one third of the time (32.2%). For the season, Davis has 59, Goulding has 39, Klug has 37, Jillings has 25, and Cavanaugh has 21. Goulding has five fewer offensive board than defensive, Klug has just four fewer, and more than one-third of Jillings' boards come on the offensive end (25-of-62 - 40.3%). Three others have between 10 and 15. Fordham outrebounds its opponents on the offensive glass, 256-171.
 
Gaitley Makes History
Stephanie Gaitley reached 100 wins with the Fordham program against Little Rock on November 19, 2016, and later won her 116th contest at home against Massachusetts, 74-43, in February, passing Kathy Mosolino ('74-'80) for the most wins in program history. Gaitley tied and passed the milestone with two typical Gaitley-inspired performances, with three-pointers and excellent defense, holding both opponents below 50 points. Entering the 2017-18 season, Gaitley had 120 wins across six seasons in the Bronx, an average of over 20 per campaign. Her 136 total wins are the second-most of any of Gaitley's stops in her 32-year career as a head coach, ahead of her 116 wins at Richmond (1985-91) but a ways away from her 10-year stint at Saint Joseph's (1991-2001), in which she racked up 196 wins. Gaitley has a career 599-351 record and has the second-most overall wins among active A-10 coaches, behind Saint Louis' Lisa Stone, who has 603, and has the second-most wins by any Atlantic 10 coach, with 172 between Fordham and Saint Joseph's, but is 68 behind Joe McKeown's record of 240 that he accumulated during his 17 years with George Washington from 1989 to 2008.
 
Counting on Cavanaugh
The redshirt freshman waited two years to grace a collegiate basketball court in an official capacity and her hardwork and perseverence has paid off in a big way. Now a three-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week, plus Metropolitan Basketball Writers' Association and CollegeSportsMadness.com's Player of the Week, twice each, Cavanaugh has scored in double figures in all but three games (a team-high nine against UCLA, eight points vs. Bucknell in the next game, and a season-low four at Richmond on Sunday), including seven 20-point efforts and one 34-point explosion. The Allamuchy, N.J. native ranks 12th in the country with 38.0 minutes played per game and has gone the distance nine times, including a stretch of seven straight between UC Davis and Dayton, playing at least 37 minutes in all but four games this year. Cavanugh has hit at least one three-pointer in all but one game (Sunday at Richmond), two in 11 games, once with three, and a season-best four against Dayton two Wednesdays ago. She is averaging 18.8 points per conference contest, third-most in the league, and had been the only player to have played every minute of every league game until the last two games. She's doing that on 39.0% shooting overall and 86.7% from the line (39-of-45), with a 20/13 assist/turnover ratio.
 
Cavanaugh Among Fordham Rookies
Cavanaugh's current 16.1 points per game pace is the second-highest among freshman (Anne Gregory O'Connell's 22.0 in 1976-77), her 339 overall points already ranks fifth, and her 87 free throws made is already second-most behind Liz Kane's mark of 117 in 1986-87. Her 797 minutes played and 108 field goals each rank just outside the top-10. Among all players, her 16.1 points per game average ranks 17th just alongside Suzanne Maguire (1996-97).
 
Seven-Game Winning Streak
Fordham's seven-game winning streak was snapped against Dayton last Wednesday. During the team's streak, Fordham was averaging 65.4 points per game compared to opponents' 54.6. G'mrice Davis led the way with 18.9 points (on 47.1% shooting), 13.7 rebounds, and chipped in 16 assists. Bre Cavanaugh was right behind her with 18.6 points on 38.6% shooting and 11 steals, while Lauren Holden shot the ball at a 41.3% clip from behind the arc for 12.3 points per contest. Johanna Klug was super efficient, converting 24-of-34 looks for a 70.6% field goal percentage, and added 4.6 rebounds and seven blocks. Zara Jillings also stepped up and was fantastic in efficiency and as another ball-handler, shooting 50.0% from the field (12-of-24) with 3.9 boards and a team-high 22 assists, plus three blocks and two steals.
 
60 is the Magic Number?
The Rams were 15-0 when scoring 60 or more points last season. Fordham was also 11-1 when holding opponents under 50 points (and 13-1 when holding them at 52 or under). After scoring at or under 55 points across their first six contests this year, the Rams have scored 60 or more in 13 of the last 15 contests, and have an 11-2 record when hitting the 60-point mark.
 
Career Milestone Watch
- Bre Cavanaugh is 11 points away from 350
- Bre Cavanaugh is 17 field goals away from 125
- Bre Cavanaugh is 14 three-pointers away from 50
- Bre Cavanaugh is 13 free throws away from 100
- Bre Cavanaugh is 11 assists away from 50
- Bre Cavanaugh is 25 steals away from 50
- Bre Cavanaugh is three minutes away from 400
- G'mrice Davis is 47 points away from 1,300
- G'mrice Davis is one offensive rebound away from 250
- G'mrice Davis is 31 field goals away from 550
- G'mrice Davis is 35 free throws away from 300
- G'mrice Davis is 10 blocks away from 50
- G'mrice Davis is 86 minutes away from 3,200
- Mary Goulding is 38 points away from 250
- Mary Goulding is 15 rebounds away from 200
- Mary Goulding is six appearances away from 50
- Mary Goulding is five starts away from 25
- Lauren Holden is 11 points away from 700
- Lauren Holden is 21 field goals away from 250
- Lauren Holden is 31 minutes away from 2,700
- Lauren Holden is five starts away from 75
- Lauren Holden is 15 appearances away from 100
 
Flourishing in the Middle Periods
This season, the Rams are outscoring opponents 289-265 (13.8-12.6) in the 10 minutes before halftime and 352-265 (16.8-12.6) in the 10 minutes after. Fordham has started relatively slow this season, only outscoring foes 286-269 (13.6-12.8) in opening frames but turn it on thereafter. Although they have scored 313 points (14.9) in the final 10 minutes of games, second-most among the four quarters, opponents are right there with 310 (14.8) points of their own.
 
Opponents Scoring Under 40
The Rams, all-time, since the move from the AIAW to the NCAA in 1983, have held opponents under 40 points 19 times, all coming in 1990 and beyond. Under Stephanie Gaitley, that number is eight, including two this season and Richmond's 38 points being the latest. Northern Colorado and Richmond each came into their respective contests averaging 69 points per game. The Bears' 33 points were the third-lowest by a Fordham opponent all-time.
 
Davis Racks Up Preseason Honors
As mentioned, Davis' breakout junior season saw her earn First Team All-Conference and All-Defensive honors, and it was announced at A-10 Media Day that the league's coaches have predicted her to do so again as a senior. Davis was also recently selected as one of 20 players in Division I women's basketball for the inaugural Katrina McClain Award watch list, to be given out to the country's top power forward, starting this season.
 
Fordham Picked to Finish Fifth in Preseason Poll
Likewise, the league's coaches also predicted an identical fifth-place finish for Fordham in the preseason poll. Dayton, last year's champions, garnered eight first-place votes for a total of 182 points, just ahead of Saint Louis, who tallied 174 points and three first-place votes, and Saint Joseph's, with 170 points and the final three first-place votes. Duquesne, with 160 points, rounds out the top five in a predicted fourth-place finish. George Washington (116), La Salle (114), George Mason (79), Richmond (78), and Massachusetts (73) filled out spots 6-10, followed by VCU (56), St. Bonaventure (50), Rhode Island (46), and Davidson (22).
 
Five Fordham Debuts
Five freshmen made their debuts against UMBC, the most since 2011. Three of those freshmen started the contest, the most in the last 15 years. Joey Klug's 13 points were the most by a freshman in her debut since Hannah Missry scored 14 in 2013. Klug became the first freshman to record both a block and a steal in her debut over the last 15 years, as well, and the first to record at least one block since Samantha Clark had two in her 2012 debut. Cavanaugh's 39 minutes were the most by a freshman making her debut since Megan Mahoney played all 40 minutes in 2007.
 
Fordham on the International Scene
The Rams boast one of the larger international contingents, between players and coaching staff, in the country. Seven different countries are represented: Barbados (Sonia Burke), Fiji (Valerie Nainima, Vilisi Tavui), Germany (Johanna Klug), Latvia (Asnate Fomina), Poland (Angelika Szumilo), and New Zealand (Mary Goulding, Kendell Heremaia, Zara Jillings), and 13 from the USA. Jillings and Klug each participated with their respective national teams over the summer, with the former playing sporadically for the New Zealand senior national team and Klug helped lead Germany to the European U20 B championship. 
 
20 Wins
The 66-61 double overtime win at La Salle last February was Fordham's 20th win of the season. It is the fourth time under Stephanie Gaitley that the Rams have amassed 20 or more wins, and it is the 16th season that Gaitley has personally won 20 or more, out of 31 seasons. Previously, there had been just five 20-win seasons in program history -- three with Kathy Mosolino (1977-80), one under Christina Wielgus (1991-92), and one under Kevin Morris (1993-94).
 
Four Sign NLIs in 2017-18 Recruiting Class
Coach Gaitley announced a four-player class earlier this week, made up of two guards and two forwards, locally from New York and Pennsylvania: Chloe Chaffin, Kaitlyn Downey, Megan Jonassen, and Catherine Polisano. Read more about them HERE.
 
Up Next
The Rams have their third game in six days, and second straight on the road, when they travel to Saint Louis for a Wednesday morning clash at 11 a.m. CST for the Billikens' annual Field Trip Day event.